Two Coffees and a Car Ride
by LogicBomb.32
Summary: Castle wants a dog and is dragging Beckett with him but does Beckett get more than she bargained for?


**Title: Two Coffees and a Car Ride **

**Author: Logicbomb.32 **

**Ships: Caskett **

**Summary: Castle wants a dog and is dragging Beckett with him but does Beckett get more than she bargained for?**

**Authors Note: Written for mad00 over on Tumblr. The better of the two pieces I wrote while on this ten hour bus ride.**

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><p>"I'm getting a dog."<p>

First of all it was far to early in the morning for Castle to be standing at her door looking as bright and chipper as he did presently. Second of all "What?" she asked, stepping aside so that they cold continue this conversation in the sanctity of her apartment.

She was still half-asleep, the sound of fervent knocking on her door being what had shaken back into the land of the living "Castle." She said, sinking into a chair "You'd better have a very large, very strong cup of coffee with you if you're going to show up at my apartment at six thirty am."

"And a bear claw." Castle responded, holding out said bear claw and coffee towards his still groggy partner.

Beckett closed her eyes, enjoying the burn of the searing liquid as it spilled down her throat. As she opened her eyes she could already feel the effects of the caffeine leeching into her veins "Why are you getting a dog?" Beckett asked, finally addressing his reason for being here in the first place.

"Because" Castle said, as he plopped down into the chair next to her "having Royal around, I realized what I'm missing in my life." Beckett raised an eyebrow, daring Castle to expand on this epiphany "You know, Alexis is going to be leaving for college soon and my mother says she's on her way out. It's going to be getting lonely and I just want someone to be there when I get home, someone who doesn't mind staying up all hours of the night because I'm writing or on a case. Someone to be a sounding board for plot lines or chew on the rejection letters."

He tried to add some humor to the statement, however they were both too far gone for that. The subtext of the statement, the images that were flashing through their minds, the potential they had…."So you're going for a dog." Beckett concluded, breaking the tense silence.

"Did you have something else in mind Detective Beckett?" Castle asked, looking over at his partner.

It fell silent again,

_Yes, she did have another idea. _

_No, she wasn't going to tell him. _

Brushing a piece of hair out of her face Beckett coughed "Why are you dragging me with you Castle?"

"I don't know." Castle sighed, that stupid grin playing at the edges of his lips "I figured we have the day off and-"

"I wouldn't have any other plans?" she asked

Castle just looked at her that _"I know you have no social life, so don't try and act like you would_."

"And I thought that you would enjoy coming with me." He concluded, and as he pushed himself up from the seat he continued "But if you had other plans I guess I'll just get out of here."

He started walking towards the door, leaving the ball in Beckett's court. She could let him walk out the door and continue on with her rather boring day, _or _"Castle!" she said standing up and running over to the door "Gimme five." She said, allowing a small smile to flutter across her lips.

"I'll be downstairs." He said, not stopping the smile that spread across his face.

Beckett shook her head, as she turned back into her apartment, closing the door behind her and making her way into her bedroom to change. Scanning her closet, she was suddenly challenged with the task of finding something to wear. Never before had she actually cared about she wore when it came to, well, anything. In her closet she had work clothes, home clothes and fancy clothes. Somewhere from those three there had to be an outfit.

Wait?

Why was she worrying? This is Castle, she could wear nothing (wait, wrong example), she could wear a garbage bag an feel completely comfortable in it around him. Not like when she was with Josh. When she was with him there always seemed to be this unspoken standard she had to live up to, whether imposed by herself or someone else…it didn't matter.

Grabbing jeans, a plaid long-sleeve with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a grey tank top to go under, Beckett retrieved a purse, her badge and gun (out of habit) and locked her apartment. She had made it to the top of the staircase when she realized the coffee and half eaten bear claw were still sitting on her kitchen table.

Screw it.

Knowing Castle, he had probably already finished his first cup and would be itching for a second before long "What took you so long" he asked as she sat down in the passenger seat.

She rolled her eyes "Where are we going?"

"To get me a dog."

"No seriously." She said

"To get you more coffee and me a dog." He said "Clearly the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet."

Beckett couldn't argue with that plan so they settled into silence as Castle navigated the traffic. She enjoyed this, this silence, this driving, this simply being around him without the overhang of murder and death. Shaking her head Beckett couldn't believe how much of a sap she sounded.

Somehow over the expanse of their car ride, after getting coffee and before they hit traffic Beckett must have drifted off because the next thing she knew she was waking up to the sounds of tires on gravel. Pushing herself away from the window she looked over at Castle blearily as she grabbed her coffee and took a sip. She grimaced and set the cup back down "That's two cups of my coffee that you've wasted already today." Castle said

Beckett looked over at him "How long was I out?" she asked, sitting up and looking around.

They were on a country road, surrounded by the never-ending expanse of rolling fields. Every so often there was a farmhouse or a barn, it was such a change from New York where the buildings were practically stacked on top of each other "About an hour." Castle said "I would have woken you but I know you sleep with a gun, I don't need your cat like reflexes working on me."

Beckett smiled and Castle turned onto a driveway with a sign that read _Peachtree Animal Rescue _"Run by a buddy of mine." Castle explained as they parked.

"Of course it is." Beckett sighed good-naturedly.

"Anyway it's a no kill shelter and they have all kinds of animals. I came out here once to study a Pigmy Monkey for one of the Derrick Storm books, its name was Chico and let me tell you, he had the dirtiest tricks."

"Alright Castle." Beckett said, stopping him before he could even get that story started "What kind of dog do you even want?" she asked as they waked towards the house that served as office and home.

"Don't know." Castle said "I think it's just one of those things."

"One of those things?" Beckett questioned

"Oh come on, you can't tell me that you've never just looked at something and fallen in love with it. Or known that it was something special and no matter how hard you tried you could never forget it?"

_Yes, she has._ "Nope." Beckett replied, shaking her head as Castle held open the door for her.

"You have not lived." Castle said as they stepped inside and he greeted the man behind the counter "Erik!" he said, smiling.

"Rick!" he said "It's been to long."

"That it has." Castle said, shaking the offered hand before turning to introduce Beckett "And this is my-" there was a barely discernable pause that Beckett only caught because she was listening "partner Detective Kate Beckett."

"Pleasure." Erik said, turning to Kate.

"Please, call me Kate. "she said "Detective is only for when I'm on the job."

Erik nodded "I get it, my brother works on the Chicago PD. Anyway, Rick, you said something about wanting to get a dog."

"Yeah, we had this case and there was a dog involved. I ended up having to take it home and, well, there was split custody involved, but I really enjoyed having the dog around."

Erik laughed "We've got a bunch of dogs out back, they have free run of the farm but so it might take us a moment to get them all. Are you looking for a puppy or one more grown up?"

"He's looking for the moment." Beckett supplied as they stepped out of the house and onto a small porch.

"I've got three dogs Bozo, Rodger and Duchess. However currently we have eleven dogs that are possibly for adoption. We have Dory and her litter of what was eight but six have been adopted so now two. There's Tonto, he's half huskie-half something else I haven't quite identified yet. Edgar, Blues, Kitty, Sammy D and MJ are all mutts that people couldn't keep or didn't want to. And then there are our newest additions to the farm: Dizzy and Duke."

"Quite the group." Beckett commented as a few of the dogs finally made their way over to them.

Beckett and Castle lost themselves in time as Blues and Edgar and Kitty and Sammy D and MJ all mad their way over to them. Castle and Blues were hitting it off rather wall, and in a way it fit. Blues was a big dog, probably part Great Dane or St. Bernard in their somewhere and just enjoyed sitting next to Castle. Even following him around when he tried to interact with Kitty and Tonto.

Kate however found herself holding Nemo, one of Dory's puppies and petting MJ (a true mutt) behind the ears. She found herself enjoying just sitting in the country with two dogs beside her and a couple of horses in the field to her right with a Pygmy Monkey and his clan in the tree giving her shade. Castle and Erik were talking inside, Blues sitting at Castles feet no doubt.

Nemo mewled softly and scrambled off of Beckett's lap, choosing rather to go exploring with Bruce, Dory following in her puppies wake. That just left Beckett and MJ. According to Erik, MJ had just wandered onto their farm a little over three months ago. He was a year and a half with at least part German Shepard and part Rottweiler in his bones. Leaning against the banister, sitting on the stairs, Beckett realized that she hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.

She liked it.

She liked that Castle helped.

"You ready?" Castle asked, stepping out onto the porch a leashed Blues standing next to him.

"Sure." Beckett said, easing herself away from MJ and looking down at Blues "So did you have your moment?"

Castle paused, as if remembering something else before nodded "Yeah, he's an adorable lug."

_Like someone else, _Beckett mused as she cast one glance back at MJ before reentering the house "Nice to meet you." She said, extending her hand.

"Anytime, if you're interested in adopting you know where to find me." Erik said smiling.

Beckett just smiled, her mind caught elsewhere.

They were twenty minutes out, Blues sitting in the backseat watching the world pass by when Beckett turned to Castle "Turn around." She demanded

"Why?" he asked, smiling to himself

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but-"

"You had a moment!" Castle gasped

"Yes" Beckett sighed "I had a moment."

"With MJ?"

"Yes." Beckett said, knowing that Castle would be insufferable now.

"Good." He said "I'm happy for you."

Beckett peered at Castle "You planned this." She said "Richard Castle you played me."

"Me? Play you? Never."

"Right." Beckett said

"But like I said, I'm happy for you."

"Why?"

"You need someone in your life who will always be there for you. Someone who will sit with you when you're awake and hog all the bed when you're trying to sleep. Someone who will love you unconditionally."

_Someone like you._

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><p><em><strong>Hey there! <strong>_

_**I hope you enjoyed it in all of its glory. Haha, not really in its glory but in, in it's self. Just a fun, fluff piece I've never tried before. **_

_**R&R **_

_**Thanks, **_

_**Logicbomb.32**_


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